DJB Photography Blog

This week I have been helping pick asparagus on a morning for a local farmer, Spilman Farming, as Sally has apparently had a few problems managing to find people to pick for her.  Her workforce is primarily made up of polish workers who stay for the summer and after the asparagus season help with soft fruits (strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries).  This reminded me of last season Sally asking me to take some photographs of picking both asparagus and soft fruits for her business, and some of the photographs were on display during the Helperby Village Fayre last year.  I thought I would therefore share with you some of the photographs taken which I am sure you will agree look great.  Incidentally if you are looking for nothing but the best asparagus and soft fruits then I would recommend Pasture Lane Asparagus and Spilman Soft Fruits.

This weekend saw me very busy firstly setting up a stand at Sandburn Hall wedding fair on Saturday evening, and then setting up and manning a stand at the Allerton Castle Wedding Experience.  Allerton Castle wedding fairs are always really nice, classy fairs, with excellent quality exhibitors.  The location sets the scene for a really high class fair where couples can gain a lot of information in preparation for their wedding.  In contrast to some wedding fairs there was a nice steady flow of people through the doors, and although numbers were slightly down on past fairs, I never really felt I was standing about waiting for a long time.  Most couples were planning on having their wedding in 2010, 2011, with some as far away as 2012.  Although I did not take any bookings on the day, and never really expect to, I usually receive several enquiries which hopefully lead to bookings.

Claudie, Sophie and their team from Dine Services, once again, did a great job in the planning and organising of this fair, and couples who attended, I believe, got a lot out of the day.  The weather certainly helped to show off Allerton Castle in its best light, and with several photographers who did not attend the fair this time I think it will prove to be very beneficial for me personally.

I must also thank Annita and my mum for manning the Sandburn Hall stand for me, which I very much appreciated.  I have written a separate article review of the Sandburn Hall wedding fair.

In addition to the Allerton Castle Wedding Experience I also had a stand at the very first Sandburn Hall wedding fair.  This was not really by design as originally the Allerton Castle fair was to be held in February but was rearranged to be on the same day as the Sandburn Hall fair which I had also booked.  I therefore asked Annita and my mum if they would be happy to man the Sandburn Hall stand for me, which they duly did and it sounds as though they had an enjoyable day.

Last week there was an awful lot of work involved in preparing for the two fairs, and I had to hire a separate set of display boards from Geoff at Fastlane Displays.  I had to give both Annita & mum a training session on the sorts of questions they would likely be asked and how to answer to provide accurate and meaningful information to potential couples.  I also had to select suitable albums to be used at both fairs to ensure that the range of albums I offer were available for people to look at.

It sounds as though there was a steady stream of people through the doors with little time during the day where there were quiet periods.  I apparently had a lot of positive comments about my work and quite a few people had heard of me already and were aware of my work.  In contrast to Allerton, couples were mainly enquiring about 2009 & 2010 wedding dates, and with 2009 dates almost full it would be nice to have the enquiries and bookings to fill 2009 and concentrate on 2010 and beyond.

Hayley and Sarah at Sandburn Hall have done a great job in organising their first wedding fair.  Sandburn is a nice venue for a wedding and has a lovely oak framed function room with a superb large south facing window.   Hayley and her team are particularly motivated and devoted to ensure a wedding day is well planned and runs like clockwork and I enjoy photographing weddings there.  If you are looking for a very nice yet different to the norm venue for a wedding then Sandburn Hall is definitely worth looking at.  Along with the Griffon Forest log cabins as a place for the bride to get ready and guests to stay in, it has a very nice overall package to make a wedding day very special.

It sounds as though the wedding fair was the success it deserved to be and I thank Hayley and Sarah for contacting me to have a stand at the fair.

After a busy weekend at the Yorkshire Spring Brides Wedding Fair Show I have finally got everything put away and just getting back into my normal working week.  Day 2 seemed busier than day 1 with a constant flow of people passed my stand.  In some cases there were a few too many people at the stand and I was unable to speak with everybody.  However I have given out plenty of brochures and literature, and spoke with a lot of people potentially looking for photography services for their wedding.  This is one of the best shows in the area and although overall there may have been less people through the doors than previous years, there were certainly a lot of genuinely interested couples.  I expect a fair few number of couples to contact me after they have had an opportunity to review the literature they have collected at the fair, and with 13 photographers in attendance there is certainly a lot for people to think about when choosing a photographer.

I want to thank Cathy at Yorkshire Brides for giving me the opportunity to have a stand and for the organisation of the event.  It was very professional indeed and I would recommend it to couples looking at attending a wedding fair in the future.

Just been exhibiting at the Yorkshire Spring Brides Wedding Fair at the Pavilions Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate.  Day 1 of a 2 day exhibition.  It has been very good considering the current recession.  A good steady flow of people passed my stand with quite a number apparently seriously interested in my services.  I never really expect to take bookings at a wedding fair especially when there are a dozen or so other photographers exhibiting.  For the most part people will go away and review the literature they have received, and look at websites before arranging to come and see photographers to spend a bit more time looking at their work.  The wedding fair is probably one of the largest in the North of England with another two day fair planned for early October.  The quality of services exhibiting is of the highest standard with approximately 150 exhibitors.  You can therefore expect to find what you are looking for when planning a wedding.

One point of interest that I noticed is that quite a lot of people have not as yet arranged their wedding date, so were simply gathering information before they really get in to planning their wedding day.  There are of course venues exhibiting so you can potentially find the venue of your dreams to get married at here also.

Well tomorrow is set to be busier with most people attending on the Sunday, and with the nice weather predicted for tomorrow it could well be a busy day.  If you are planning a wedding then this is one of the fairs to attend for inspiration, ideas and to find the services you require for your big day.

I met with Hayley this week and the pictures are to be on display from mid December.  Hayley suggested something local to display and we have settled on a display of ‘Colourful Skies’ based on a study which I have done over the course of a year or so.  With a mixture of sunrises and sunsets of varying degrees of colour and interest it should make for an interesting display.  If you get the opportunity go and have a look they are on display until the end of January in the entrance to Tykes Restaurant at Sandburn Hall, Flaxton, just off the A64 between York and Malton.  Here is a little taster:

This week I took down the exhibition at Mark Ryan’s Great Northern Wine.  The exhibition has been a great success and I thank Mark very much for holding the exhibition.  I will no doubt have another one at GNW in the future.  In place of the exhibition I have left Mark with six framed photographs I took for him back in 2006.  They look great and help it to not look too bare in between him holding exhibitions of other artists work.  Thank you very much Mark and to see the photographs left on display have a look at them below:

I received a telephone call this week from Hayley at Sandburn Hall.  Sandburn Hall is a fabulous building for weddings and functions, and with the golf course, restaurant, and the nearby holiday log cabins it is a great place to have a break away.  Hayley and the team are great and I very much look forward to photographing weddings at Sandburn Hall, so when Hayley phoned me to ask if I would be interested in displaying some photographs in the entrance to the restaurant I was delighted.  I am looking forward to discussing the details with her in the near future.

Titled “Inspired” my exhibition at the Living Room York took place from Wednesday 7^th May 2008.  The show included fine art photographic prints from a recent trip to Australia of landscapes of the country.

For the most part I have tried to capture the clarity of the air that is Australia and the ruggedness of the Australian landscape, yet also show the diversity of the landscape.

The exhibition included fine art landscape photographs from Australia which were available to purchase as Limited Edition Prints, with the print run for each photograph limited to 50 in 18”x12” size, supplied as a gicleé prints, supplied with a signed certificate of authenticity.

Below are a selection of 32 images from which 18 were chosen for the exhibition

Following the very positive feedback I received from the Australia Exhibition held at The Living Room in York recently, Mark Ryan of Great Northern Wine has invited me to exhibit some of my work in his fantastic premises in Ripon.  Mark is an independent wine merchant and retailer and his location is great for an exhibition.  I have previously held an exhibition at GNW before am am pleased to have been asked to do so again.  Therefore if you were unable to attend the Australia exhibition in York there is a second chance to see it in Ripon.  There will be an open evening on the 30 July 2008 and the exhibition is to remain in place again for approximately 6 weeks.  If you can make it at any time both the exhibition and a visit to Mark’s premises is well worth the visit, and I am sure Mark will happily open a bottle or two of wine for you to taste.